Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD OF RETRIEVING ELECTRONIC MAIL
Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates generally to
electronic mail systems, and more particularly, this
invention relates to retrieving only the more recent
mail headers of electronic mail messages.
Background of the Invention
[0002] In some communications systems, a mail user
agent forms part of a mobile device, for example, a
wireless phone or PDA. The device accesses one or more
of its electronic mailboxes through a mail agent as
part of a mobile office platform, typically a server
operative between the source electronic mailboxes and
wireless device. The mobile office platform acts as a
window onto the electronic mailboxes of the user.
These mailboxes can be accessed from the mobile office
platform using one of a plurality of protocols such as
the Post Office Protocol Version 3 (POP3), the Internet
Mail Access Protocol (IMAP), webmail or other
proprietary protocol. Additionally, the mail user
agent may access the mobile office platform in one of a
variety of protocols. For example, the mail office
platform can be accessed using the POP3 protocol, IMAP
or webmail.
[0003] The mobile office platform has a plurality of
protocol specific connectors to access electronic
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mailboxes. For example, one connector could be a POP3
connector for accessing POP3 mailboxes, another
connector could be an IMAP connector for accessing IMAP
electronic mailboxes, and yet another connector could
access mail from an Exchange server.
[0004] The mail user agent usually resides on a
mobile device, which has limited storage capacity and
limited transmission bandwidth. Some users have
electronic mailboxes that receive a large number of
electronic mail messages. For example, it is not
uncommon for some users to have thousands of electronic
mail messages contained within an electronic mailbox.
Unfortunately, the POP3 protocol used by a mail user
agent usually is not intelligent enough and does not
have the processing power to request a subset of mail
from the mobile office platform. In some instances,
the mail user agent retrieves the entire list of
message headers before performing any operation.
[0005] This results in a number of problems. For
example, the mail user agent will not have enough space
to hold the message list. Also, any new electronic
mail check takes an extended period of time because any
function that requires the mail user agent to look at
the message list is subject to delays. Also, if a
message header is 500 bytes, and the user has 5,000
electronic mail messages in an "IN" box, then on every
check of new electronic mail, the mail user agent must
retrieve 500 KB of data. This is an exceptionally
large amount of data to be retrieved on every check of
new electronic mail. Additionally, the battery life of
a mobile device is drained as a result of downloading a
large message list and any air time charges for the
wireless device are increased because of the time
required for downloading the entire message list.
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[0006] Another problem arises as a result of
translating from one electronic mail protocol to
another electronic mail protocol. Not all electronic
mail protocols support the retrieval of subsets of
electronic mail headers in a message list. Thus, any
service that allows a mail user agent transparent
access to electronic mailboxes implemented in a
plurality of electronic mail protocols will run into
the problem of having to retrieve or store a large
number of message headers for uses that have a large
number of electronic mail messages. If only protocols
that allow retrieval of subsets of electronic mail
headers from electronic messages were used, then some
of these problems would be eliminated. For example,
with IMAP, there would be no problems with (a) new mail
checks taking extended periods of time, (b) battery
life drainage and (c) increased air charges, because
the IMAP would only request a subset of the electronic
message list. There would still be a problem, however,
with the limited space to hold the data pertaining to
the message list in the mobile device and its mail user
agent. The mail user agent would have to store the
entire message list on the mobile device.
Summary of the Invention
[0007] The present invention solves these
aforementioned problems by allowing the mobile office
platform and its mail agent to provide only the n-most
recent mail headers to a device. This effectively
translates the mailbox size from a large mailbox to a
small mailbox that can easily fit on the mobile device
and be easily manipulated given the limited connection
bandwidth. A virtual mailbox is thus formed that is
confined to a moving window within the user's mailbox.
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[0008] In accordance with one aspect of the present
invention, the communications system of the present
invention includes a mobile device having a mail user
agent. The mobile office platform is operative with
the mail user agent for accessing one or more
electronic mailboxes of the mail user agent using at
least one protocol specific connector. This mail
office platform is also operative for providing only
the n-most recent mail headers of electronic mail
messages to the mail user agent.
[0009] In another aspect of the present invention,
the mobile office platform is operative to provide only
the n-most recent mail headers in a default order of
mail headers provided by the electronic mail protocol
used for accessing an electronic mailbox. The message
header could be the unique identifier (UID) of an
electronic mail message. The mobile office platform
can be operative to provide only the n-most recent mail
headers in an order based on associative information
about the electronic mail provider and/or electronic
mailbox to be accessed. A database can be associated
with the mail office platform and contain records of
associative information for electronic mail providers
and/or electronic mailboxes to be accessed. This
associative information could be the name of the
electronic mail protocol used for accessing an
electronic mailbox, the version of the electronic mail
protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox, the
name of an electronic mail server, including the name
of the electronic mail server applicable to an
electronic mail protocol, or the domain name of an
internet service provider used for accessing electronic
mailboxes.
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[0010] In yet another aspect of the present
invention, the mobile office platform can be operative
for downloading an entire message list of one or more
electronic mailboxes, sorting the message headers, and
extracting only the n-most recent mail messages for
delivery to the mail user agent.
[0011] In another aspect of the present invention,
the mobile device comprises a wireless messaging
device. The mail user agent can be operative for
accessing the mobile office platform using a POP, IMAP
or webmail protocol. The plurality of protocol
specific connectors can comprise a POP connector for
accessing POP mailboxes, an IMAP connector for
accessing IMAP mailboxes, or a connector for accessing
mail from an exchange server.
[0012] A method aspect is also disclosed for
retrieving electronic mail. In one aspect of the
present invention, it comprises the steps of accessing
one or more electronic mailboxes of a mail user agent
using at least one protocol specific connector and
providing a mail user agent of a mobile device only the
n-most recent mail headers of electronic mail messages
that had been accessed.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0013] Other objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent from the
detailed description of the invention which follows,
when considered in light of the accompanying drawings
in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a high level block diagram of a
system that includes a mobile office platform as a
server that includes a mail agent operative with a mail
user agent as part of a mobile device such that the
mail agent accesses one or more electronic mailboxes of
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the mail user agent using at least one protocol
specific connector and provides only the n-most recent
mail headers of electronic mail messages to the mail
user agent.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a high level flow chart showing an
example of the method that can be used in the present
invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram
illustrating an exemplary mobile wireless
communications device for use in the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
[0017] The present invention will now be described
more fully hereinafter with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments
of the invention are shown. This invention may,
however, be embodied in many different forms and should
not be construed as limited to the embodiments set
forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided
so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete,
and will fully convey the scope of the invention to
those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like
elements throughout, and prime notation is used to
indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments.
[0018] The present invention advantageously
overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art that was
limited to those systems that would retrieve an entire
list of message headers before performing any operation
or translating from one mail protocol to another in
which different protocols could not support retrieval
of subsets of mail headers in a message list. The
present invention is operative to provide the n-most
recent mail headers to a preferred mobile device and
translate the mailbox size from a large mailbox to a
small mailbox that will easily fit on the mobile device
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and can be easily manipulated given the limited
connection bandwidth typical with these devices. The
present invention can be accomplished by having a
server operative as a mobile office platform download
the entire message list, sort the message list, and
extract the n-most recent mail headers and send them to
the mobile device. Alternatively, the mobile office
platform could retrieve the n-most recent mail headers
from a source mailbox based on the electronic mail
protocol, for example, by using a default message list
order and then transfer the n-most recent mail headers.
Also, associative data could be used to aid in
retrieving the n-most recent mail headers. This
associative data could be the name of an electronic
mail protocol, a version of the electronic mail
protocol, the name of an electronic mail server, or the
domain name of an internet service provider, as non-
limiting examples.
[0019] In one aspect of the present invention, the
message header that is downloaded could be a unique
identifier (UID) common for electronic mail messages.
It is also possible that the mobile office platform
could view a last item, a second-to-last item, and
other previous items, compare time stamps, and decide
what order for mail headers is to be implemented. The
mail user agent in a mobile device could be a cellular
phone, wireless personal digital assistant, wireless
email device, or other mobile and/or wireless devices.
[0020] FIG. 1 shows a high-level block diagram of
basic communications system 10 used for retrieving
electronic mail and most notably, in accordance with
the present invention, providing only the n-most recent
mail headers, for example, unique identifiers (UID's)
of electronic mail messages to a mail user agent. FIG.
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1 shows electronic mailboxes as source mailboxes and
sets forth an example of the type of functional
components that can be used in the present invention.
As illustrated, a mobile device 12 includes a mail user
agent 14 operative with a server as a mobile office
platform 16, in one aspect of the present invention.
The mobile device 12 could be a wireless device,
including a cell phone, Personal Digital Assistant
(PDA), Blackberry unit, or other device as examples of
user systems. Other systems, including a personal
computer or other device, are also operable with the
present invention. The mobile office platform 16 is
typically a server that acts as a mailbox interface
module and includes a mail agent 18 and communicates
with source mailboxes 20. The wireless device 12 as a
mail user agent 14 could include various email clients,
which in this example correspond to an Outlook mail
client 20a, an Outlook Express mail client 20b, and a
proprietary mail client 20a for client X, each
associated with respective source mailboxes 22. The
mail user agent 14 could also include mailbox
configuration data 24 for each of the email clients.
It should be understood that the various email clients
could be located on different agent systems as part of
one or more wireless devices, as illustrated by the
second agent system 26, each having a mail user agent.
[0021] The mail user agent 14 is operative with the
mobile office platform acting 16 as an agent for the
wireless device to the source mailboxes. The source
mailboxes 22 could be located on the internet 30, a
corporate internet 32, or both. The mobile office
platform 16 acts as an agent, performs various
functions, and includes various functional and
validator modules. It should also be understood that
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some of the functions of the mobile office platform as
an agent could also be downloaded to the user system
and operative by the user, as when inputting
information into a mobile device or home computer.
[0022] As illustrated, the mail agent 18 is
operative with a database 34 that stores associative
information about the electronic mail provider and/or
electronic mailbox to be assessed. This associative
information stored in the database 34 could include the
name of the electronic mail protocol used for accessing
an electronic mailbox, the version of the electronic
mail protocol, the name of the electronic mail server,
its applicability to the protocol and the domain name
of an internet service provider used for accessing
electronic mailboxes, as non-limiting examples. It
should be understood that the present invention is not
limited to these items, but the associative information
can include any type of information that is helpful to
access the electronic mailbox and determine the most
recent mail headers of electronic messages and provide
only the n-most recent mail headers of electronic mail
messages to a mail user agent.
[0023] The message header, in one aspect of the
invention, could be a unique identifier (UID) of an
electronic mail message. Although the associative
information could be used to determine order of mail
header retrieval, it should be understood that in some
protocols, the n-most recent mail header can be
provided in a default order of mail headers provided by
the electronic mail protocol. Thus, associative
information would not be required. In other cases,
even associative information is not available depending
on the type of internet service provider and the type
of electronic mail protocol used. Thus, the entire
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message list for one or more electronic mailboxes must
be downloaded to the mobile office platform, the
message header sorted, and only the n-most recent mail
messages extracted for delivery to a mail user agent.
[0024] The mail user agent can be operative for
accessing the mobile office platform using a POP, IMAP,
or webmail protocol. The different protocol specific
connectors could be a POP connector for accessing POP
mailboxes and IMAP connector for accessing IMAP
mailboxes or a connector for accessing mail from an
exchange server.
[0025] It should be understood that the software and
programming used for the present invention can vary,
and different applications can be used. The mobile
office platform 16 can use web services technology and
include different application services used by those
skilled in the art. Web services could include a
combination of programming and data, which are
available from a web server for web users, or the use
of other web-connected programs as provided by an
application service provider. Web services could use
an extensible mark-up language (XML) as a standard for
formatting data to be communicated.
[0026] Any type of arrangement can be used to access
the mobile office platform 16, including a peer-to-peer
arrangement, a central server, or other architecture
and line or wireless communications. Also, middleware
could be used. Data formats could be standardized and
data exchanged using the extensive mark-up language
(XML), which is a foundation for the web services
description language (WSDL). Different web servers
could be used, including the open source ApacheTm or
MicrosoftTM's internet information server (IIS). Other
web services could include NovelTM's web server for users
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of its netware operating system or the IBM family of
Lotus dominoTM service, for example, for IMB's OS/390 and
AS/400 customers. Naturally, any web server should be
able to download requests for file transfer protocol
(FTP) files in a preferred embodiment.
[0027] The mobile office platform 16 can have
various import agents that are designed to retrieve
configuration data from email clients, including EudoraTM
and NetscapeTm besides the OutlookTm and Outlook ExpressTM
email clients as illustrated. The mobile office
platform could include a Messaging Application
Programming Interface (MAPI) to retrieve any
configuration data for a MAPI-compliant email client.
MAPI provides the application programming interface
(API) to ensure system independence for messaging
applications. A layer of functionality could be
provided between applications at any underlying
messaging systems and act as messaging middleware.
MAPI-compliant applications could communicate through a
MAPI subsystem to MAPI service providers that perform
requested actions for clients and pass data back
through a MAPI system to a MAPI client. Any mailbox
configuration data could reside in a configuration
registry of the user system. In other example
embodiments, data could reside in email client specific
configuration storage.
[0028] In the user system, the MicrosoftTM Outlook
ExpressTM mail client can access source mailboxes that
use the Post Office Protocol (POP) or Internet Mail
Access Protocol (IMAP). POP, of course, is the
internet mail server protocol that provides incoming
message storage. The more recent protocol is POP3.
POP is operative with a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
(SMTP). Any mail server could run both protocols if it
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is to receive, store and forward messages. The SMTP
protocol exchanges messages from one mail server to
another and hands messages to the required POP server
for an email mailbox. A POP server can receive a
message and hold it until another POP server is
available. The IMAP version 4 also uses the SMTP
transport mechanism, but it is a more flexible protocol
because IMAP allows users to store mail on a mail
server without downloading all new messages to a local
machine. Internet mail service, of course, run SMTP
and either POP or IMAP and receives incoming messages
from any source without identity checking. Thus, mail
can be selectively downloaded and read, message headers
reviewed, hierarchical message stores built, an address
book supported, and documents linked, authenticated and
searched.
[0029] The mobile office platform could generate
configuration data objects and format data objects
using an extensible mark-up language (XML) for
submission to various XML-compliant web services. The
server and/or web service could be a simple object
access protocol (SOAP) compliant service.
[0030] XML, of course, as an extensive mark-up
language, is a subset of the standard generalized mark-
up language (SGML) and would allow data to be stored
and published on websites and be richer in
presentation. Custom tags could be created to define
the content of documents. Common information formats
could be created and the format and data shared on the
internet, corporate internets and/or other networks.
The mark-up symbols in XML could be unlimited and self-
defining. The channel definition format (CDF) could
describe any channel and a specific CDF file can
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contain data that specifies an initial web page and how
it can be updated.
[0031] SOAP allows one program running in one kind
of operating system to communicate with the program in
the same or another type of operating system by using
HTTP and XML for information exchange. SOAP could
specify how to encode an HTTP header in an XML file,
thus, allowing one computer to call a program in
another computer and pass data, while also dictating
how it can return a response. SOAP is advantageous to
allow data to pass through firewall servers that
screen-out requests other than those for known
applications to a designated port. SOAP is an XML-
based protocol that has at least three parts,
including: (a) an envelope to define a framework for
describing what is in a message; (b) a set of encoding
rules for expressing application-defined data types;
and (c) a convention for representing remote procedure
calls and responses.
[0032] The mobile office platform 16 could include
software that is implemented as an ActiveX control as a
component object model (COM) and provide a framework
for building software components that communicate with
each other. ActiveX controls could be automatically
downloaded and executed by a web browser. Distributed
object applications could be built in active web pages
and ActiveX controls could be downloaded to different
browsers and clients. ActiveX controls could be held
in a web browser as a container and distributed over an
internet or corporate intranet. ActiveX controls could
also manage and update web content and client systems
and work closely with a user interface of a targeted
operating system. Java applets or similar component
objects could also be used instead of ActiveX controls.
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It should be understood for purposes of the present
invention that an object model control could also be
any type of dynamic link library (DLL) module that runs
in a container as an application program using a
component object model program interface.
[0033] FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram showing
an example of the method of the present invention.
Reference numerals begin in the 100 series. As shown
in FIG. 2, a user first requests electronic mail from a
user mailbox (block 100). The mobile office platform
determines if the protocol used for accessing the
electronic mailbox specifies a default message list
order (block 102), and if it does, then the n-most
recent mail headers of electronic messages are
downloaded to a mail user agent of a mobile device
(block 104). If the protocol is not specific, then the
mobile office platform determines if associative
information can be used (block 106). If not, then the
entire message list is downloaded, the message headers
sorted, and only the n-most recent mail messages for
delivery to a mail user agent are extracted (block
108).
[0034] An exemplary hand-held mobile wireless
communications device 1000 that can be used in the
present invention is further described in the example
below with reference to FIG. 3. The device 1000
includes a housing 1200, a keyboard 1400 and an output
device 1600. The output device shown is a display
1600, which is preferably a full graphic LCD. Other
types of output devices may alternatively be utilized.
A processing device 1800 is contained within the
housing 1200 and is coupled between the keyboard 1400
and the display 1600. The processing device 1800
controls the operation of the display 1600, as well as
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the overall operation of the mobile device 1000, in
response to actuation of keys on the keyboard 1400 by
the user.
[0035] The housing 1200 may be elongated vertically,
or may take on other sizes and shapes (including
clamshell housing structures). The keyboard may
include a mode selection key, or other hardware or
software for switching between text entry and telephony
entry.
[0036] In addition to the processing device 1800,
other parts of the mobile device 1000 are shown
schematically in FIG. 3. These include a
communications subsystem 1001; a short-range
communications subsystem 1020; the keyboard 1400 and
the display 1600, along with other input/output devices
1060, 1080, 1100 and 1120; as well as memory devices
1160, 1180 and various other device subsystems 1201.
The mobile device 1000 is preferably a two-way RF
communications device having voice and data
communications capabilities. In addition, the mobile
device 1000 preferably has the capability to
communicate with other computer systems via the
Internet.
[0037] Operating system software executed by the
processing device 1800 is preferably stored in a
persistent store, such as the flash memory 1160, but
may be stored in other types of memory devices, such as
a read only memory (ROM) or similar storage element.
In addition, system software, specific device
applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily
loaded into a volatile store, such as the random access
memory (RAM) 1180. Communications signals received by
the mobile device may also be stored in the RAM 1180.
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[0038] The processing device 1800, in addition to
its operating system functions, enables execution of
software applications 1300A-1300N on the device 1000.
A predetermined set of applications that control basic
device operations, such as data and voice
communications 1300A and 1300B, may be installed on the
device 1000 during manufacture. In addition, a
personal information manager (PIM) application may be
installed during manufacture. The PIM is preferably
capable of organizing and managing data items, such as
e-mail, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and
task items. The PIM application is also preferably
capable of sending and receiving data items via a
wireless network 1401. Preferably, the PIM data items
are seamlessly integrated, synchronized and updated via
the wireless network 1401 with the device user's
corresponding data items stored or associated with a
host computer system. Communication functions,
including data and voice communications, are performed
through the communications subsystem 1001, and possibly
through the short-range communications subsystem. The
communications subsystem 1001 includes a receiver 1500,
a transmitter 1520, and one or more antennas 1540 and
1560. In addition, the communications subsystem 1001
also includes a processing module, such as a digital
signal processor (DSP) 1580, and local oscillators
(LOs) 1601. The specific design and implementation of
the communications subsystem 1001 is dependent upon the
communications network in which the mobile device 1000
is intended to operate. For example, a mobile device
1000 may include a communications subsystem 1001
designed to operate with the MobitexTM, Data TACTM or
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) mobile data
communications networks, and also designed to operate
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with any of a variety of voice communications networks,
such as AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, PCS, GSM, etc. Other types
of data and voice networks, both separate and
integrated, may also be utilized with the mobile device
1000.
[0039] Network access requirements vary depending
upon the type of communication system. For example, in
the Mobitex and DataTAC networks, mobile devices are
registered on the network using a unique personal
identification number or PIN associated with each
device. In GPRS networks, however, network access is
associated with a subscriber or user of a device. A
GPRS device therefore requires a subscriber identity
module, commonly referred to as a SIM card, in order to
operate on a GPRS network.
[0040] When required network registration or
activation procedures have been completed, the mobile
device 1000 may send and receive communications signals
over the communication network 1401. Signals received
from the communications network 1401 by the antenna
1540 are routed to the receiver 1500, which provides
for signal amplification, frequency down conversion,
filtering, channel selection, etc., and may also
provide analog to digital conversion. Analog-to-
digital conversion of the received signal allows the
DSP 1580 to perform more complex communications
functions, such as demodulation and decoding. In a
similar manner, signals to be transmitted to the
network 1401 are processed (e.g. modulated and encoded)
by the DSP 1580 and are then provided to the
transmitter 1520 for digital to analog conversion,
frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and
transmission to the communication network 1401 (or
networks) via the antenna 1560.
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[0041] In addition to processing communications
signals, the DSP 1580 provides for control of the
receiver 1500 and the transmitter 1520. For example,
gains applied to communications signals in the receiver
1500 and transmitter 1520 may be adaptively controlled
through automatic gain control algorithms implemented
in the DSP 1580.
[0042] In a data communications mode, a received
signal, such as a text message or web page download, is
processed by the communications subsystem 1001 and is
input to the processing device 1800. The received
signal is then further processed by the processing
device 1800 for an output to the display 1600, or
alternatively to some other auxiliary I/O device 1060.
A device user may also compose data items, such as e-
mail messages, using the keyboard 1400 and/or some
other auxiliary I/0 device 1060, such as a touchpad, a
rocker switch, a thumb-wheel, or some other type of
input device. The composed data items may then be
transmitted over the communications network 1401 via
the communications subsystem 1001.
[0043] In a voice communications mode, overall
operation of the device is substantially similar to the
data communications mode, except that received signals
are output to a speaker 1100, and signals for
transmission are generated by a microphone 1120.
Alternative voice or audio I/0 subsystems, such as a
voice message recording subsystem, may also be
implemented on the device 1000. In addition, the
display 1600 may also be utilized in voice
communications mode, for example to display the
identity of a calling party, the duration of a voice
call, or other voice call related information.
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[0044] The short-range communications subsystem
enables communication between the mobile device 1000
and other proximate systems or devices, which need not
necessarily be similar devices. For example, the
short-range communications subsystem may include an
infrared device and associated circuits and components,
or a BluetoothTM communications module to provide for
communication with similarly-enabled systems and
devices.
[0045] Many modifications and other embodiments of
the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in
the art having the benefit of the teachings presented
in the foregoing descriptions and the associated
drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the
invention is not to be limited to the specific
embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and
embodiments are intended to be included within the
scope of the appended claims.
